Ponderings Along the Pathway...HAPPINESS

Welcome to this month's edition of Ponderings Along the Pathway, an exclusive feature over here on the Path of Positivity.  The purpose of this column is to continue with the goal of this blog which is to create a space "designed to inspire, nurture and provide support for the soul by creating a positive path to follow, one project or post at a time".  Providing some motivational introspection on the themes we cover each challenge period, is one way of achieving this goal.

This month it is all about HAPPINESS and PAT is here to share her thoughts on the subject...

There are a multitude of self-help books out there, and I have been flipping through several in the last few months (library sale). Everyone has an opinion (and apparently a book) on how to parent, organize, slim down, tone up, find happiness, etc. My family has been subjected to my involvement in these books and articles. They’ve watched me take inventory of all the food in my fridge, freezer and pantry (that lasted two weeks). They’ve helped carry out bags of donations from my closet purges (after plundering for things they wanted to keep). They’ve run from the smells coming from my blender as I tried juicing to “clean out” the unhealthy foods still in my system (that lasted two days).

The more I read, the more I like the Buddhist way of living (and my family appreciates the break in “improvements”). I really think that by striving toward a peaceful, positive life, happiness will just come naturally. 

Here are some great tips for achieving happiness no matter who you are or where you live:

• Spend time with nice people who reflect the person you would like to be. Choose friends who make your day a little brighter just by being in it. Weed out those who use or neglect you; let them go without regret and what you’ll have left are people you can count on.
• Everyone deserves kindness. Treat everyone with the same level of respect and patience as you would like to be treated yourself. Be happy for them; cheer them on; be thankful for their blessings. Appreciate the possibility of new relationships; they might just change your life forever.
• Find the courage to be yourself. You are not perfect for everyone, but you are perfect for those who love you for who you are.
• Let go of resentment. Forgiveness isn’t accepting hurtful behavior but facing the hurt and not letting it ruin your life.
• Arguments don’t have to end with someone winning and someone losing; no matter what you say, there will always be a person who thinks differently. Let it go.
• And finally, doing little things for others can make big differences in their lives and yours. You’ll be so busy making others happy that karma will bring it right back to you!

These suggestions are a lot less extreme than those I’ve recently tried, and more often than not, I find happiness a more frequent companion on my path. I hope you do, too.

 

Please be sure to pop over to Pat's personal blog, Patacake Pages, for more inspiration.  That is it for today but please be sure to stop by on Monday when it is time to open the voting up to you for Challenge #14.

May happiness ever be a companion with you on your own personal pathway.   Have a great weekend everyone!

Challenge #15--HAPPINESS: June 2 - July 6, 2014

It is the first Monday in June and that means it is time for the next challenge to start.  This time around, for Challenge #15 the theme is "HAPPINESS".  Show us your interpretation of what happiness means to you.  You can make any sort of project and/or post as long as it is positive in nature and relates to the theme.

Happiness is something that we all strive for.  Unfortunately, many people keep working towards it and never allow themselves to experience it.  "If I could just get a job that I enjoy, I'll be happy."  "If I could finally lose those 20 lbs, I could be happy."  "If I could ....".  We need to stop the 'if only's' and be happy in the present.   Be happy you woke up today.  Be happy you were able to climb out of bed and walk of your own volition for those of you that can.  Be happy you have any job at all for those of you lucky enough to have one at all.  Be happy that there is clean air to breath and clean water to drink.  Be happy you can put food on the table.  Be happy with who you are, right here and right now.

Don't forget when you link up your project and/or post, to please leave a comment letting us know how your creation relates to the concept of happiness if it isn't readily clear within the design itself or clearly written somewhere else in your post.   Remember, the creation must be positive/inspirational/motivational AND adhere to the theme of happiness in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes.  While you may easily see how happiness relates to your creation, it may not be as apparent to me or the DT members.  That is why we ask that you clarify it somewhere, whether here or in your blogpost.  This way it clears up any ambiguity that may exist.

This month we are fortunate enough to once again have the ever fabulous Fresh Brewed Designs (FBD) as our Guest Sponsor for the month.  Here is a refresher on what FBD is all about...

If you are looking for some freshly brewed inspiration, then you have come to the right place.  Fresh Brewed Designs (http://www.freshbreweddesigns.com) is a small on-line company that has been offering a wide variety of digital images and rubber stamps since November 2010, designed to meet the needs of paper crafting addicts everywhere.  With over 30 categories to choose from and several new additions to the store monthly, our range of products is expanding all the time. Whether you are looking for one of our uniquely designed coffee inspired images or something entirely different, you are sure to find something to please.  We'd also love for you to visit us over on our blog (http://freshbreweddesigns.blogspot. com) where inspiration is always percolating.  We have a digi release at least once a month and other events as well.  Come see us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fresh-Brewed-Designs/139388879447210) too.  You never know what other goodies you may find there.

Owned and operated by Heather Dennis, loving wife and mother to two home-schooled children, you can always expect personalized service.

At Fresh Brewed Designs we always have a fresh pot of creativity brewing. So stop by and join us for a cuppa whenever you want!

Look at the beautiful images the team got to work with this month...

Doesn't this sweet little cat put a smile on your face?  If  "Daisy Kitten" doesn't exude a sense of happiness, I don't know what will!

"Daffodil Plants" is another great image that leaves the observer with a sense of joy.  For many people, happiness can be found in simple things.  Oh and look, that sweet little kitten makes an appearance in this image too!

Far out man!  I love this throwback to the 70's.  "Groovy" is another great image, that is perfect for the happiness theme.  Smiling is contagious you know!  You should try it out sometime to see how many people you get to smile back at you in return.

Two of the team members are on the Fresh Brewed DT and so they used other FBD images they had at hand...

Give my a spot on the beach and I'd be happy indeed as I am sure most people would be.  Beautiful nature scenes like, "Beach Getaway" are great for instilling a sense of happiness.

For others, all it takes is their morning cup of coffee to start their day in a happy place.  Heather has a lot of wonderful coffee inspired images including this great one called, "Peace Love Coffee".

If you are interested in purchasing any of these incredible images, clicking on the watermarks will take you to their location in the Fresh Brewed Designs store.

Now check out what my amazing design came up with to inspire you.  Clicking on the team members' name will take you to their blog where you can check out the details for their inspirational creations...

We are very pleased to have Dawn, from Designs By Dragonfly, as our guest designer this month...

Hi! It's Dawn here and I am delighted to be this month's guest designer. I have been happily married to my best friend for 34 years. One month to the day before our 9 year anniversary my happiness became complete when we were blessed with the birth of our precious daughter. By day I teach small reading and math groups to kiddos who need a little extra support to reach their full potential. By night I spend time with my family and then create crafty projects which I share on my blog, Designs By Dragonfly.  Thank so much for having me. 

Hugs, Dawn

Here is the adorable card she came up with...

As always, my design team and our guest have come through with amazing creations all conveying a sense of HAPPINESS within them.
 
So what are you waiting for?  Create a project and/or post that is positive AND relates to happiness, provide an explanation of how your project and/or post relates to the theme somewhere in your post or come over and leave a comment with the explanation.  Easy, peasy!

If you have some time, please visit other people participating throughout the month.  I've included the summary of the challenge details below.  If you are new to this unique challenge, you can find out the impetus behind why I started it under the 'Introductions' tab and all the details you need to know in order to participate, in the 'Challenge Details' tab (both tabs located at the top of the blog).

I hope to see you back on Monday, June 9th when voting will start for Challenge #14.  As we only had 7 participant's this month, there will not be a top seven BUT all entries will be eligible for voting.  Also, be sure to check out the next Ponderings Along the Pathway post from Pat, coming out at the end of this week.

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE ON HAPPINESS
If you need some motivation to get you started, I've provided a quote for you, which you can find below.

Please be sure to click on it to bring it up into the lightbox in its proper size before saving it.

Credit Notes For This Creation:
© 2013, Lisa L. Décosse. PUO. However, you are allowed to use the sentiment on handmade projects that you intend to sell on a small scale basis provided credit is given. You also need to include a credit note and a link to this blog should you use any of my images in your creations and post them on your blog. Please be sure to familiarize yourself with my full terms of use found in the 'Download Instructions & T.O.U.' tab at the top of this page. Of important note:  Please do not share my images with family, friends, etc. Additionally, do not post any images to file sharing services like Box®, 4-Shared®, etc. Instead, please direct people to my blog(s) so they can grab the image for themselves. If you would like to post a watermarked version of the image, please contact me to obtain one.

Font Information:

• Foglihtenfr02 font created by Gluk
• Redressed font created by Astigmatic One Eye Typographic Institute

Click on the font name to take you to a download location.  Both of these fonts are free for commercial use.

You will notice that the sentiment may appear huge depending on what software program you download it into.  You can always reduce the size without distorting the overall look.

CHALLENGE DETAILS SUMMARY
Whether you are new and need to familiarize yourself with all the details,  or a returning participant and just need to refresh yourself, you can always find out everything you need to know in order to enter this challenge in the 'Challenge Details' tab at the top of the page. I've provided a quick summary below.  Please note that dates and times listed below are for this particular challenge only:

• Each Path of Positivity challenge will remain open for approx. a full month.  Entries for this challenge will be accepted from June 2nd to July 6th.
• Link up your inspirational post below using Inlinkz. You will be able to submit your link up to 11:55 p.m. on July 6th.
• When you link up, leave a comment summarizing what it is about your post that you feel is inspirational  / positive / motivational and how it fits into the theme if you have not included this information somewhere within your post.
• Don't forget to come back throughout the month and visit others that have participated.
• Voting for this challenge will begin once the top seven have been determined.  There will be a separate post detailing the top seven.  You will then have the opportunity to vote on the creation or post that you have found to be the most inspirational of the chosen seven.  Be sure to leave a comment telling us what it was that inspired you or something in general if you uncomfortable disclosing any details of your vote.
• This month, prizes will be the following:
• Ten digital images from Creative Bug Digital Stamps for the person out of the top seven who receives the most votes during voting week.
• Three digital images from Ike's World  for the post or project that the DT deems most inspiring of the bunch.
• Three digital images from Fresh Brewed Designs, this month's guest sponsor for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
• One digital designer paper from Décosse's Dynamite Doodles for one lucky voter who leaves a comment.
• One digital sentiment for every single person who enters the challenge.

GENEROUSLY SPONSORED BY...

Please show your support to our fabulous sponsors by going over and checking out their work and saying hi if you have the chance.  In addition to Fresh Brewed Designs, our guest sponsor for the month, we also have our regular sponsors:

 

 

If you ever have any questions be sure to EMAIL ME or just leave me a comment.

We look forward to seeing you participate!

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Team Delights for Challenge #13

It is time for my Design Team to share their favourite entries for Challenge #13.  As always, in each challenge you, the readers, get to voice your opinion by voting for your favourite and so it is only fitting that my Design Team get to do so as well.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to join along our Path during the month of April for Challenge #13.  While it is always a difficult decision, each team member managed to find a particular entry that really caught their attention.  Take a look...  

Vickie--chosen by Desíre...

Here is what Desíre had to say:

"Not only is Vickie's card so beautifully designed and coloured, but it echoed her thoughts on the ocean i.e.":

"I  have always been attracted to the beauty of the sea. I drink it in, soaking up the scene and its memories, so that I can hide them in my being and carry them away to last forever. The sea is both destructive and life giving. We stood on the shore in a place of peace, but if we'd been a few yards farther into the sea, we would have been in a fight for life as the waves came crashing in. I stand in awe of the power of the sea and, even more, of the One who could create such an amazing force."

 To see the details of Vickie's card and read more of what she had to say, click HERE.

Holly--chosen by Suze and Monica...

Suze had this to say:

"I picked Holly's entry as I felt a sense of peace looking at her creation.  Music always gives me a sense of peace and the soft colours and vintage looking lace added to that feeling."

 

Here is what Monica had to say:

"I love the Shabby Vintage look of the card. The image is a perfect distressed look and the lace adds to the overall vintage style. Just Beautiful."

 

To see the details of Holly's card, click HERE.

Shona--chosen by Vicky, Pat, Lynda and Sandy...

Vicky had this to say:

"I  just loooooved her gorgeous project, the picture was really a great inspiration for what she did it.  And I love how she stated something how soothing and peaceful the sound of the tide is.  That's one of my favorite sounds!  It made me at peace and long for a vacation lol."

 

This is what Pat had to say:
"Shona described my idea of peace in her own words":

"When I think of the word peace, calming sounds are what come to my mind.   When it comes to calming sounds - nothing can beat that of the tide lapping up on a beach, with the soft breeze rustling the sea grasses..."

Lynda had this to say:
"Another project based on a real photograph from nature...LOVE this frame so much; the colors, the crackle, and the fact that it is a shaker is just even better!"

 
Sandy said this:
"I just love everything about her project…"

 

 To see the details of Shona's card and read more of what she had to say, click HERE.

Carol--chosen by Lisa (that's me)...

Carol created such a clean and simple card but one that packs a powerful feeling and message.  The image that she chose is simply precious and the perfect accompaniment to that sentiment.  Carol also hit the nail on the head with something that she said in her post:  

"...unless we choose to walk a peaceful path, the most vulnerable of our society don't stand much of a chance."

It is my hope that Carol's card and post will help to influence others to make peaceful choices in their lives.

 

To see the details of Carol's card and read more of what she had to say, click HERE.

 Creative Congratulations to all of you!

Thank you to everyone who played on our Pathway during the month of April.  As always we greatly appreciate you sharing your incredible talents with us.  Now if you were chosen as a DT Delight, then we have a special treat for you.   Not only are you eligible for a special DT Delight badge, we will also be having a draw very soon for a special package of digital goodies.  So, if you are chosen as a DT Delight during any of our challenges, your name will be entered into the draw.  You get one entry per choice; so, if two members picked your card, you will earn 2 entries, three members 3 entries, etc.  The draw was supposed to take place in April but we need to hold off a bit.  It will happen soon though.  The winner at the time will be notified by email.  In the interim you are more than welcome to copy your framed card above and add it to your blog to share with all your readers; and, don't forget to email me at popwinners {at} gmail {dot} com (be sure to replace at and dot with the appropriate symbols) or by clicking HERE to bring the address up in your email program, for a copy of the special Challenge #13 DT Delight Badge.  I'm always running a bit behind these days, so your patience is appreciated.

Thank you for stopping by today.  We will be back tomorrow, Monday, June 2nd to start Challenge #15.  We hope that you will join us then to learn what the newest theme will be.